An argument on Rochester's Weld Street turned into a hit-and-run early Monday morning after a driver struck a 22-year-old woman with an SUV and sped off, leaving her with injuries serious enough to send her to the hospital. Police are still searching for the driver, and the investigation remains open.
According to 13WHAM, the woman had been standing next to a white mid-size SUV when an argument broke out between her and another party. The SUV then accelerated eastbound on Weld Street and struck her before the driver fled the scene, per the outlet's reporting.
Officers responded to Weld Street near Lays Alley in Rochester around 1:15 a.m. and found the woman with a lower-body injury, according to WHEC. An ambulance took her to a hospital, and her injuries were described as non-life-threatening, the station's report indicates.
Driver Still at Large as Investigation Continues
As RochesterFirst notes, police are searching for the driver who struck the woman with their vehicle during the argument, and the case remains under investigation. Police have asked anyone with information to call 911, per the same account.
Three Rochester Hit-and-Runs in Recent Months
The Weld Street case follows another Rochester hit-and-run in June, when a 60-year-old woman suffered multiple injuries after being struck by a passing vehicle at Clifford and Portland avenues just after midnight, according to Democrat and Chronicle. That woman was reported to be in critical condition following the crash, the paper reported at the time.
Police also sought a driver in July after a pedestrian was struck by a white SUV traveling east on Lyell Avenue, according to a separate report from RochesterFirst. Under New York law, a driver who flees the scene of an incident and has a prior conviction for the same violation faces a class E felony, punishable by a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $3,000 in addition to other penalties, according to New York State Senate statute.
City Points to Vision Zero Push Amid Recurring Crashes
The string of hit-and-runs comes as Rochester continues to promote its Vision Zero initiative, which builds on the city's Complete Streets policy and Active Transportation Plan. City officials have said that traffic crashes are preventable, and that a safe city is one where everyone, whether walking, biking, driving, riding the bus, or using a wheelchair, can move without fear, according to the City of Rochester.
